Paulette Jordan Could Become the Nation's First Native American Governor

Historically, women have needed to be convinced to enter politics. But within weeks of the 2016 presidential election, thousands of women announced they planned to run. And we want them to win. So we're giving them a monthly example of a woman who has run. The point: You can, too.

If Paulette Jordan wins Idaho’s governor race this November, she’ll be the first female governor of the state and the nation’s first Native American governor. It’ll be a tough race—she’s running in a deep red state that hasn’t elected a Democratic governor since 1990. But Jordan has challenged expectations before: In 2008, she became the youngest person elected to the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Council. In 2014, she was elected to Idaho’s House of Representatives, and in 2016, she was the only Democrat in north Idaho to win a district that President Trump also won. She supports expanding Medicaid, raising the minimum wage, decriminalizing cannabis and legalizing medicinal cannabis, fighting climate change, and protecting public lands; she’s also been endorsed by Planned Parenthood and Cher. Here, she explains why she’s running.

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For me, being indigenous, you are definitely born in a political life. Everything from the earlier treaties and relations, the things that we negotiated, like having access to clean air and water and access to education, that was all politicized. So you’re raised to understand what that means.

My relatives are all chiefs, men and women who have lead for thousands of years on this land. That is unlike anyone else because no one else has seen this kind of leadership played into national government. The way we run, though, is not on a political party; it’s always based off of the sole need of the people. And I think that’s why [people have] been so drawn to my message; they see that I’m not any political party. I’m about the partnership, and they’ll see that my voice really does reflect the people, whether they’re Republican or Democrat or Libertarian or even unaffiliated. And it’s all about that legacy of leadership that I stem from. From a very young age, since I could speak, I was already handed the mic and speaking publicly and leading people. I was truly raised by my elders. They crafted me to not only learn their life lessons and learn their experiences but to build from that.

When I got to college, I was very active as a student there. I was encouraged to be more involved on the student government level. Sitting at the table with the public officials, other leaders, that was an opportunity that really drove me to be more aware of my surroundings and also lead me to get more involved in their level of government. When I came across a candidate that was running for a US Senate seat, I was very active in getting students registered. And I think that’s really the base level of politics: rallying your community to be active and engaged with their local politics and ensuring that they’re very much part of this participatory government.

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I was the youngest member of my Council, and it was really an honor. When they elected me, they wanted me to represent them amongst the council of elders, and I was really humbled by that because that’s unusual.

I was on the [Tribal] Council at that time when they asked me [to run for Idaho's House of Representatives]. I was approached by members of the community. They were elected officials, and they ended up approaching me at an event that I spoke at, and they said, "We need a voice like yours represented in the state House, and there’s an open seat coming up." I was still very committed to running my community at the local level, and I really wasn’t thinking about leaving. But my grandfather, who’s this World War II guy, he’s a farmer, he’s a state engineer, I went to him and I said, "This is an opportunity that we face," and he encouraged me to really run. He said, "You have to be the good apple amongst all of the bad. And the people of Idaho will need your voice, so don’t hold your voice just for us. Everyone needs you."

They’re definitely seeing a bold, strong, powerful woman who speaks her mind and is not backing down. And when you have a rare candidate like that, people always say different things.

When I was in the state House, I learned that the state will never change if we’re chipping away on the local level. It will only change if we go straight to the top. Idaho will not budge unless we have strong leadership that truly reflects the people. People are still in poverty without health care, without access to education. We’re just at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to our society, when it comes to every aspect of health and welfare. We need to run for governor because it’s the right thing to do. Our success is so significant because we’re showing people that you don’t have to be a wealthy millionaire. You can be from rural Idaho. You can be humble because you’re true and sincere to all of the individual voices that are here.

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In Idaho, there are a lot of folks who will say, "She’s definitely a different kind of voice that we’re not used to seeing." I get Republicans who will come to my events and will speak at my events and say how much they support [the campaign] and how in favor they are of my message. [It's] because I’m speaking to them, and they don’t see a Democrat often speaking their message. It’s very rare. And of course, because I’m a woman, I’m a mother of two sons, I’m definitely not your typical candidate. I come from rural Idaho. I’m a gun owner. I support the 2nd amendment. I’m in favor of autonomy on the local level of government. They’re definitely seeing a bold, strong, powerful woman who speaks her mind and is not backing down. And when you have a rare candidate like that, people always say different things. They’ll say, "She’s arrogant," or "She’s aggressive." I’m six feet tall, so people will say, "She’s tall," and "She’s got a firm handshake," and "She’s intimidating," and then I’ll say, well if you really knew me and where I come from, it’s more that I’m determined. I know where I’m going. I know what I need to do. I know how I need to act. I know I need to listen.

When you’re a mother, you come from a new perspective. That’s what really brings compassion and empathy to my forefront because, as a mother, you’re always looking out for your children. You’re looking out for their future. So when I speak of their future, it comes from a certain place that’s not politicized. I think that’s why it’s really important for people to know that every mother who steps out and runs for office, you would benefit from that voice coming to the front of your government because everyone’s included. No one is left out.

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It’s really important for people to know that every mother who steps out and runs for office, you would benefit from that voice coming to the front of your government.

What’s so rare, that people have never seen in this country, is an indigenous woman run and lead. It’s never happened in the history of this country, that a woman would run and lead on the executive level like this, a senior executive level, a CEO of state. And so we’re breaking boundaries now as we speak. People are seeing that there’s someone who’s not only radically empathetic to the voice of the people but also has a deeper sense of love toward land and all of humanity. That kind of compassion is what people need more of, especially in today’s climate where they’re seeing a president who is certainly not friendly to everyday, average citizens, who has not been friendly to rural America... I think a lot of women in this state need to be empowered and encouraged to step up and lead.

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